THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 7:30 PM CET
Regime’s Chief Justice Warns Against Data Infiltration and Insecurity
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the regime’s Judiciary, expressed concerns during a meeting with leaders and personnel of the newly established Judicial Protection and Intelligence Center. Warning about the infiltration and leakage of documents and information related to the regime’s crimes, Ejei stated, “Officials and employees of the Judicial Protection and Intelligence Center should be vigilant regarding various methods of enemy infiltration and provide explanations and descriptions of these tactics to prevent colleagues from making compromises.”
The judiciary head added, “The Judicial Protection and Intelligence Center must consistently update its methods, equipment, and knowledge, as the strategies employed by adversaries are in a state of constant evolution.”
Calling for oversight and controlling the personnel of the Judiciary, Ejei stated, “You must demonstrate through actions and words to the entirety of the Judiciary staff that if you hold them accountable in certain cases, it’s for the benefit of the employees themselves.”
During the session, Ali Abdollahi, the head of the Judicial Protection and Intelligence Center, stated, “Over the past two years, safeguarding and overseeing the informational data of the Judiciary has remained a core approach of this center.”
On Friday, May 13, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) held a press conference in Paris, making public for the first time the hitherto undisclosed names of over 33,000 officials, interrogators, torturers, and executioners in Iran’s Prisons Organization and over 22,000 of their pictures.
UPDATE: 4:30 PM CET
IRGC Spox Dodges Responsibility for Destroying Up Lake Urmia
Following reports of Lake Urmia drying up due to the clerical regime’s policies, Ramezan Sharif, the spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), attempted to rationalize the situation, claiming that similar lake dry-ups have occurred globally over the past 800 years, indicating that Iran’s circumstances aren’t unique but rather they are being exploited to question the state’s capabilities.
Calling on state reporters to change the narrative, he added, “If journalists lack a strategy, they fall into the enemy’s strategy. Journalists need to receive training, perform their professional duties, and review the history of the past 40 years of developments.”
Meanwhile, the Deputy of Marine Environment at the regime’s Environmental Protection Agency strongly attributed the dire state of Lake Urmia to the intense summer heat and vowed that with more rainfall in the coming season, the lake will reinstate itself.
The clerical regime’s actions have contributed to the significant drying of Lake Urmia, notably by constructing multiple dams along its feeding rivers, changing local agriculture, and allowing IRGC-run industries to exploit the scarce water resources of the country for their own benefit. This has resulted in the shrinking of the largest brackish lake in the Middle East and the fifth-largest worldwide.
Regime Pays Over 500,000 Pounds in Damages to UK Government for Grafitti on Embassy Wall
The state-run “Mostaqel Online” revealed on August 10 that the clerical regime has paid over 500,000 pounds as compensation to the UK government. This amount is in relation to the slogans written by paramilitary Basij forces on the wall of the British embassy in Tehran last year.
Dunking on the controversy against the rival faction, Abdolreza Davari, advisor to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, confirmed the news and stated, “The Iranian government has paid over 500,000 pounds, equivalent to 32 billion tomans, to the United Kingdom for writing these slogans on the wall of the British embassy in Tehran! When fundamentalists consider negotiations with the West a betrayal of national interests, the cost of their slogans is borne by the people, which is nothing short of betrayal.”
Devastating Flood in Southern Iran Claims Lives, Bodies Still Missing
Based on local reports, since the beginning of August, at least ten fuel porters have lost their lives in the floods in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
On Wednesday, August 9, the state-run ILNA news agency admitted the extent of the recent devastating flood in Sistan and Baluchestan, practically exposing the regime’s concealment. It stated that around 200 vehicles are plunging into valleys due to the flood, resulting in several fatalities. The exact death toll remains unknown. In the surrounding villages of Rask, families are still waiting for the return of the bodies of their loved ones.
Additionally, survivors suggest that there is no rescue operation and no effort is being made to locate the injured. The bodies have been left abandoned, and there’s no news even about the dispatch of search and rescue dogs.
UPDATE: 2:00 PM CET
Is Iran Preparing to Commit Another Massacre?
In 1988, the Iranian theocracy committed one of the worst mass murders in history since World War II. The majority of the 30,000 victims were political prisoners affiliated with the main opposition, Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). Among the perpetrators of the crime was the regime’s current president, Ebrahim Raisi. Now his government is orchestrating another “trial” for the remaining members of the MEK, which the regime regards as an existential threat. In many ways, Western appeasement has facilitated Raisi’s emboldened measures.
The state-run Tehran Times reported on July 31 that the regime has announced a trial against “104 people of the fugitive group” and that “these people should name lawyers to defend themselves in court.” The move is clearly in response to a series of major political blows the regime has received from the organized opposition in recent months.
UPDATE: 11:30 AM CET
Syrian Member of “Zainibon” Militia Killed in Deir Ezzor
Deir Ezzor province: A Syrian member of “Zainibon” militia was killed by unidentified gunmen in Al-Kashma Village eastern of Deir Ezzor within regime-held areas.
It is worth noting that the member had previously undergone reconciliation with the regime forces and joined the Iranian militias. On August 7, three non-Syrian members of Iranian-backed militias were killed due to the explosion of a landmine planted in their car, while they were running a patrol between Al-Taebah and Al-Kowm villages on the road between Al-Sakhnah and Al-Raqqah in eastern Homs countryside.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET
Iranian Officials Are Increasingly Worried About Facing Justice for the 1988 Massacre
At a recent book fair for the Iranian regime’s repressive Basij force, Mohammad Mehdi Dezfuli, a regime-affiliated researcher and documentary filmmaker, said, “What is clear today in the history of the Islamic Revolution, unfortunately, not much attention has been paid to the first decade of the revolution. Therefore, it is felt that many of the events that we are suffering today, including doubts about big issues, go back to the early decade of the Islamic Revolution.”
Dezfuli referred to the 1980s, in which the Iranian regime brutally murdered, tortured, and executed tens of thousands of dissidents. One particular event stands out: In the summer of 1988, the regime executed more than 30,000 political prisoners, mostly members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The executions were carried out under the direct order of regime founder and then-supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini.
Iran’s Regime Is Facing a Defection Crisis in Its Rank and File
This year’s Muharram mourning ceremonies showed the degree of anger and hatred of Iran’s people toward the regime. It also revealed another important fact: a defection crisis in the Basij and the regime’s most loyal followers. This prompted senior regime officials to admit this fact and express their horror. On August 1, during a meeting with leaders of Basij bases, IRGC commander Hossein Salami admitted the issue of defection of Basij forces and how the bases are empty, and said, “Concentrate on the bases! Promote the Islamic neighborhoods!… And activate them!”
While trying to motivate and uplift the morale of the forces, he said, “Things happen, and we pass the hardships and reach our comfort zone…”
Understanding The Political Factions and Rifts Within Iran’s Regime
Over the past year, events in Iran, including foreign policy shifts, widespread and radical nationwide protests, and economic inefficiencies, have led to significant changes in the political forces of the regime. As the country approaches its next parliamentary elections, it is essential to understand the current flow of political forces. One might question the existence of political parties within this regime, which is valid. However, this hypothesis cannot be easily dismissed. The regime does indeed have some sort of political factions, albeit with a different meaning and function compared to what is typically seen in democratic countries. But all of these factions have totally lost their credibility because of a series of uprisings and mass protests in recent years, especially the 2017 events, which marked the decline of certain factions and their influence on the people. In their slogans, the people rejected all these factions, effectively ending their political relevance.
Iran’s Regime Using Germany-Made Surveillance Cameras
The Iranian regime uses surveillance cameras and facial recognition software to control and enforce its mandatory hijab rules. One of the suppliers of these cameras is the German company Bosch. However, Bosch denies the use of these devices for facial recognition.
Last June, an opposition group announced that they had hacked over 5,000 public surveillance cameras in the Tehran area. The hackers shared videos on social networks. The videos show that the software used in these cameras is registered to the Bosch company, which apparently is used to control the cameras for monitoring intersections and highways in Tehran.
Isolated for 8 Months, Political Prisoner Massoumeh Senobari Faces Intolerable Conditions
Political prisoner Massoumeh Senobari has been isolated in a cell in Fardis Prison of Karaj (aka Kachouii Prison) for about eight months. She is being detained in restricted conditions isolated from other inmates, and deprived of fresh air on the orders of the judge presiding over her case. A reliable source has reported that Massoumeh Sanobari deposited nearly one million Tomans into the prison account a few months ago to treat her arm. But despite paying for the expenses of her treatment, prison authorities prevent her from being sent to the hospital for the treatment of her injured arm.
Currently detained in solitary confinement in the women’s ward, Massoumeh Senobari is isolated from fellow prisoners. The judge overseeing her case has imposed this restrictive measure on her. Furthermore, limitations are placed on her ability to contact her family, with authorities even preventing her from recharging her phone card. These infringements occur despite recognizing every prisoner’s fundamental right to maintain communication with their family.
MEK Supporters Held an Exhibition in Zurich, Switzerland, Supporting the MEK Leadership and Against the Mullahs’ Regime Ruling Iran
Zurich, Switzerland—August 8, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held an exhibition and demanded the trial of Ali Khamenei (Supreme leader of the mullahs’ regime) for crimes against humanity, in an international court. They expressed strong support for the MEK leadership. They also supported the Iran Revolution against the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – August 9, 2023
